FAO COFI (Food and Agriculture Organisation Committee on Fisheries) Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management

India has been elected as the First Vice Chair of the FAO COFI (Food and Agriculture Organisation Committee on Fisheries) Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management.

About Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management:

• The Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management was established during the Thirty-Fifth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) held in Rome, Italy, in 2022.
• It works in collaboration with two other COFI sub-committees: Sub-Committee on Aquaculture and Sub-Committee on Fish Trade.

Functions of the Sub-Committee:

• Technical and Policy Guidance: The Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management serves as a forum for discussing fisheries management issues at national, regional, and global levels.
  • It provides essential technical and policy guidance on fisheries governance and management.
• Advancing Responsible Fisheries: One of its primary functions is to advance the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, ensuring responsible practices in fisheries.
• Addressing Global Issues: The sub-committee identifies significant global issues and trends in fisheries management and sustainable development.
  • It offers guidance and recommendations for urgent measures to address these issues.

Collaboration and New Partnerships:

• The Sub-Committee actively collaborates with regional and international organizations, countries, stakeholder groups, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• It forges new collaborations where needed to address fisheries challenges.

About FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI):

• COFI, established in 1965, is an intergovernmental forum addressing international fishing and aquaculture issues.
• A FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) Council subsidiary, it serves as the only global inter-governmental forum for examining major issues in international fisheries and aquaculture.
• It periodically provides recommendations to governments, regional fishery bodies, NGOs, fishworkers, FAO, and the international community worldwide.
• COFI’s primary functions include reviewing FAO’s fisheries and aquaculture programs, assessing their implementation, and conducting periodic general reviews of international fishery and aquaculture issues.
• It appraises problems and suggests solutions for coordinated action by nations, FAO, inter-governmental bodies, and civil society.

Ref: Source